Nothing is known of Laurana’s training. Because the triumphal arch of Alfonso of Aragon in Naples has much in common with Laurana’s later works at Urbino, some speculate that he may have begun his career in Naples. He is known to have been at Mantua in 1465, when Leon Battista Alberti was directing the construction of the Church of San Sebastiano.

In Urbino from about 1466, he may have immediately begun making designs for the renovation of the ducal palace of Federico da Montefeltro. In 1468 he was named chief architect of the court, considered during the last half of the 15th century to be the most celebrated intellectual centre in Italy. The palace Laurana designed was part of a comprehensive town plan, one of the most ambitious and successful attempted up to that time. Although there are problems of attribution associated with the palace—the original structure dated from medieval times—Laurana is thought to have been responsible for the courtyard and entrance facade, both noted for their perfect proportions.

The Palazzo Ducale, 1450–1510; in Pesaro, Italy.

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In the courtyard, Laurana borrowed elements of the Florentine palace but handled them with a sophistication and elegance that surpassed any contemporaneous examples in Florence. The ground floor of the courtyard, a delicate arcaded portico, supports an enclosed second story where narrow windows and Corinthian pilasters alternate. This work strongly influenced the foremost architect of the following generation, Donato Bramante. Laurana also probably designed the floor plan of the palace and contributed to the fine interior detail work, the best of the period that has survived. He left Urbino in 1472 for Naples, where he was employed as a “master of artillery,” and in his last years he worked on the fortress at Pesaro.